What my INTERRAIL experience was like
Hello Friends,
this time I want to write about the Interrail trip I took last year and what problems I had. Keep in mind that everyone has a different experience and prefers one way or another of doing things.
How it all started:
It was summer 2019 (I don't remember the exact date) but if you didn't know, the EU hosts a contest every few months for everyone who turned 18 in a period of time to WIN an internal ticket. My dad convinced me to take part in it and a few weeks later I looked into the spam folder of my e-mail account and there it was. I GOT IT!
I don't really remember the process completely but I know that one day I got a letter of DiscoverEU. It had my internal ticket, a map of Europe, a booklet and a cool wristband that you usually get at festivals. So I downloaded a cool app on my phone to finally plan my trip properly.
Luckily, my parents paid for my journey (also as a birthday/Christmas present) as they thought that it would be a great experience for me. So I did not have to worry about money.
I mostly stayed in AirBnbs because I'm an introvert and I didn't want to go into hostels that much and thought that AirBnbs can be really luxurious. First I wanted to go to France, Spain and Italy. So I already "rented" the places but at one point I COULD NOT go to Spain because TRAIN RESERVATIONS or whatever and then I basically already threw 100€ out of the window. In France I also had to make reservations but they were still available and so my final journey looked like this.
1. Paris (5th of August - 9th of August)
They really gave me the strength to carry the journey on.
4. Luxembourg (15th of August - 18th of August)
In Luxembourg I stayed in a nice AirBnb, I didn't talk to the host but they seemed to be nice. I arrived in the late afternoon and the first thing I did was to go to Pizza Hut that was basically across the street. My grandma really liked the fact that I was in Luxembourg because Jan Lucembursky (the blind King or whatever who's originally from Prague) is buried here. I remember I had three conversations. One of them was creepy. It was two foreign dudes and they were begging for my phone number so I gave them my Facebook...just so they finally leave me alone. They were saying how beautiful I was and then as I was leaving they hugged me (without my permission) and I think one of them even tried to kiss me but I dodged it and immediately went away in a fast pace. Shortly before that conversation I had a nice conversation with three elderly men who were talking to me in French/German/English/Luxemburgish all at the same time. And yes, Luxembourg basically has its own language. They were saying that they've already been in Munich and Prague and then we were talking about history and I don't remember a single thing because I'm just not that history nerd.
After that creepy encounter I went to a more public space and there was a concert that day. So I was sitting there on the floor just chilling. Then a nice black dude came to me and we had a bit of small talk that really cheered me up.
I realized that Luxembourg is really small, even smaller than the bigger city close to me. It's a really lovely city though and it really made me feel good even though I was still missing home.
5. Basançon (18th of August - 20th of August)
Besançon. I can't really tell you anything. I arrived late at night with a thunder storm so it was kinda creepy and I cried all evening when I arrived there because I was really exhausted and just missed Family a lot. On day two though I went into the city and took a walk to H&M to buy socks (because I ran out) and a pair of sports shorts. Then I went and ate pasta in a place but that's really all I did in Besançon.
This place really made me appreciate my favorite people in my life though.
6. Bern (20th of August - 23rd of August)
On my way to Bern I kind of fell in love with Switzerland. The Mountains are soooooo pretty. The first thing I did when I arrived was buy a Pretzel. Bern is a really lovely city: it has bears, they talk German and they have this cool Burger Restaurant there that we also have at home (it's called Hans im Glück and it's so delicious). The AirBnb was REALLY uncomfortable though. I only got a couch to sleep on and the owner was an old man who was basically doing loud things for four hours in the morning (from like 7am). I don't even know what he was doing in the kitchen but the water was running constantly.
So I basically spent all the time I could outside and I think I only showered every second day because I just really wasn't comfortable walking in front of that man in my PJs. So I walked the city, visited the museum that had a cool exposition about space and Albert Einstein. It also had a part about Egypt but I skipped that because I'm always scared that an ancient ghost might haunt me to death for being too curious. I also spent a lot of time in the Starbucks right at the train station because it had wifi and I called all my people from there.
Bern really is a nice city and I really recommend it but their astronomical clock is SOOO LAME :D If you want to see one, go to Prague.
7. Venice (23rd of August - 27th of August)
Venice! Finally! Ever since Luxembourg I've been looking forward to some sunshine. It wasn't the way I imagined it but it really was relaxing to spend my time there. I was in a Generator hostel again. This time in an all-women room. As soon as I arrived, I had to take a boat because the hostel was on a different "island" and DAMN it was so nice to see the sea. The first and last time I saw the sea was in 2010 when we were in Croatia. I fell in love and I'd really love to go there again! It was finally SUMMER. The temperature was high and I felt really relaxed. I only left the "island" on one day because I just wanted to enjoy and relax by the ocean air. Venice (or maybe all of Italy, I don't know that) really have EXPENSIVE pasta and the portion size was really small as well. However, Pasta and Pizza were the only thing I ate there.
Venice is a beautiful city (even though I felt like they had no grass at all) but it can be really confusing. I usually walked my way around cities but in Venice it's really confusing to get from one sight to the other even with Google Maps. Because it was really hot and I didn't want to wear long pants, Venice is also the only city where I didn't go into a church.
I had nice texts with an old friend of mine and it really made my stay much more fun. I stayed a lot in the hostels and even drank a Sex on the Beach each evening because I just felt like it. I observed a lot and listened to other people in restaurants and I was fascinated by how much I understood Italian. Like yes, I knew French and Spanish were similar but THAT SIMILAR? So one woman asked me if I was Italian which obviously I'm not but she asked me in Italian and I was really proud of myself that I could understand it. Also, there was this one old man who complimented my shoulders because I was wearing that shoulder free dress you can see in one of my last Instagram posts. So Venice was fun.
8. Vienna (27th of August - 31st of August)
So on the trip to Vienna I met this really nice girl (shoutout to Cara) who's from the US and she was also going by a train from Venice. Now she didn't go to Vienna, so we had to part ways in Innsbruck but we got to know each other because we both missed a train so we have had really nice talks. We're still in contact over snapchat but she's in the US again so we won't see each other for a while.
I arrived in Vienna late at night again. The AirBnb was a nice room upstairs in a taller building. Downstairs was a Chinese restaurant and so it smelled like garbage downstairs but I was on the fourth floor and you were able to breathe there again. Vienna felt more like home again. I've already been there in 10th grade with my class. It was also nice to hear German again and surprisingly A LOT of Slovak. Vienna was really nice and because I missed a Folksfest back at home, I decided to at least visit the Prater. I also went to Schloss Schönbrunn and obviously also just walked around the city centre. I got sick at the end so all I sis on my last full day was go to a Dominos near my AirBnb.
9. Bratislava (31st of August - 3rd of September)
It would be cool if you'll follow me on my social media pages:
YouTube
Twitter
Facebook
Tumblr
Instagram
Pinterest
this time I want to write about the Interrail trip I took last year and what problems I had. Keep in mind that everyone has a different experience and prefers one way or another of doing things.
How it all started:
It was summer 2019 (I don't remember the exact date) but if you didn't know, the EU hosts a contest every few months for everyone who turned 18 in a period of time to WIN an internal ticket. My dad convinced me to take part in it and a few weeks later I looked into the spam folder of my e-mail account and there it was. I GOT IT!
I don't really remember the process completely but I know that one day I got a letter of DiscoverEU. It had my internal ticket, a map of Europe, a booklet and a cool wristband that you usually get at festivals. So I downloaded a cool app on my phone to finally plan my trip properly.
Luckily, my parents paid for my journey (also as a birthday/Christmas present) as they thought that it would be a great experience for me. So I did not have to worry about money.
I mostly stayed in AirBnbs because I'm an introvert and I didn't want to go into hostels that much and thought that AirBnbs can be really luxurious. First I wanted to go to France, Spain and Italy. So I already "rented" the places but at one point I COULD NOT go to Spain because TRAIN RESERVATIONS or whatever and then I basically already threw 100€ out of the window. In France I also had to make reservations but they were still available and so my final journey looked like this.
1. Paris (5th of August - 9th of August)
I arrived in Paris late at night, after 10pm and I went straight into my AirBnb - at least after I understood the metro system there. The host of the AirBnb was really nice and you could even see the Eiffel Tower from there. My room was very nice and I felt really comfortable there in general. As soon as I woke up the next day I was extremely homesick. I didn't feel alone because I usually like being alone but I felt lonely. Extremely lonely. I'm used to Prague but in Paris, EVERYTHING is extremely far apart. Like the Louvre is quite far away from the Arc de Triomphe. I didn't leave the house on day one. I was too sad.
On day two, I met up with Charlotte, a nice girl from Germany who commented on a Facebook post in the interrail group. I asked if someone wanted to meet up because I really felt lonely and luckily she answered. So on that day, we met at Arc de Triomphe. We talked and she told me that she's only inter railing for half the month. We spent a few hours together and I was quite happy again but as soon as we said goodbye at a metro station, I started crying again. She still follows me on Instagram though so that's cool.
On the third day I went to Notre Dame and I spent a lovely day in that area of the city just walking around and listening to German podcasts that made me feel a little more at home. And on the last day I was walking around the Louvre. I didn't go inside, but at least I have a reason to come back.
It was mostly sunny with one day of rain.
2. Brussels (9th of August - 11th of August)
When I arrived in Brussels I was shocked first. The AirBnb wasn't as great as the pictures showed but that gave me a reason to go outside a lot more. The first day, however, I spent there, talking to my boyfriend and my family and asked if it was ok if I went home after Amsterdam. And they said it would be ok but I kept it all together in Brussels. Brussels also feels a lot more like Prague because the sights are much closer together so that you can walk your way through the city.
I wasn't even looking for the city centre but I just took the metro to a station in the centre, looked around me and went to the first tower I saw. Obviously there were many tourists and I simply followed all of them. That's how you get to all the sights. I was playing Pokemon Go and that Harry Potter game that's similar to it and I was basically living off Starbucks.
In Brussels, I finally felt the SHUT UP AN GO spirit. It was very sunny there (except for the day I left).
3. Amsterdam (11th of August - 15th of August)
When I arrived in Amsterdam I couldn't help but think: "FINALLY!". I made it that far. It was 10 days in. The first thing I did was shower because I didn't want to shower in Brussels. In Amsterdam I also met up with my BEST FRIEND and it made my stay so much more fun. This time, I stayed in a Generator Hostel (the best hostel I've ever been to) and I met a few people there and talked again. I was still living off Starbucks and bought my first ever Hard Rock Cafe shirt and a cool crop top from Pull&Bear that I still love to this day. My best friends mum kinda felt like a second mum to me there because she was so nice and really lovely and they both just made me feel much more happy. We went to Madame Tussauds and there was even a football game (?) with a weird flashmob on the streets or whatever.They really gave me the strength to carry the journey on.
4. Luxembourg (15th of August - 18th of August)
In Luxembourg I stayed in a nice AirBnb, I didn't talk to the host but they seemed to be nice. I arrived in the late afternoon and the first thing I did was to go to Pizza Hut that was basically across the street. My grandma really liked the fact that I was in Luxembourg because Jan Lucembursky (the blind King or whatever who's originally from Prague) is buried here. I remember I had three conversations. One of them was creepy. It was two foreign dudes and they were begging for my phone number so I gave them my Facebook...just so they finally leave me alone. They were saying how beautiful I was and then as I was leaving they hugged me (without my permission) and I think one of them even tried to kiss me but I dodged it and immediately went away in a fast pace. Shortly before that conversation I had a nice conversation with three elderly men who were talking to me in French/German/English/Luxemburgish all at the same time. And yes, Luxembourg basically has its own language. They were saying that they've already been in Munich and Prague and then we were talking about history and I don't remember a single thing because I'm just not that history nerd.
After that creepy encounter I went to a more public space and there was a concert that day. So I was sitting there on the floor just chilling. Then a nice black dude came to me and we had a bit of small talk that really cheered me up.
I realized that Luxembourg is really small, even smaller than the bigger city close to me. It's a really lovely city though and it really made me feel good even though I was still missing home.
5. Basançon (18th of August - 20th of August)
Besançon. I can't really tell you anything. I arrived late at night with a thunder storm so it was kinda creepy and I cried all evening when I arrived there because I was really exhausted and just missed Family a lot. On day two though I went into the city and took a walk to H&M to buy socks (because I ran out) and a pair of sports shorts. Then I went and ate pasta in a place but that's really all I did in Besançon.
This place really made me appreciate my favorite people in my life though.
6. Bern (20th of August - 23rd of August)
On my way to Bern I kind of fell in love with Switzerland. The Mountains are soooooo pretty. The first thing I did when I arrived was buy a Pretzel. Bern is a really lovely city: it has bears, they talk German and they have this cool Burger Restaurant there that we also have at home (it's called Hans im Glück and it's so delicious). The AirBnb was REALLY uncomfortable though. I only got a couch to sleep on and the owner was an old man who was basically doing loud things for four hours in the morning (from like 7am). I don't even know what he was doing in the kitchen but the water was running constantly.
So I basically spent all the time I could outside and I think I only showered every second day because I just really wasn't comfortable walking in front of that man in my PJs. So I walked the city, visited the museum that had a cool exposition about space and Albert Einstein. It also had a part about Egypt but I skipped that because I'm always scared that an ancient ghost might haunt me to death for being too curious. I also spent a lot of time in the Starbucks right at the train station because it had wifi and I called all my people from there.
Bern really is a nice city and I really recommend it but their astronomical clock is SOOO LAME :D If you want to see one, go to Prague.
7. Venice (23rd of August - 27th of August)
Venice! Finally! Ever since Luxembourg I've been looking forward to some sunshine. It wasn't the way I imagined it but it really was relaxing to spend my time there. I was in a Generator hostel again. This time in an all-women room. As soon as I arrived, I had to take a boat because the hostel was on a different "island" and DAMN it was so nice to see the sea. The first and last time I saw the sea was in 2010 when we were in Croatia. I fell in love and I'd really love to go there again! It was finally SUMMER. The temperature was high and I felt really relaxed. I only left the "island" on one day because I just wanted to enjoy and relax by the ocean air. Venice (or maybe all of Italy, I don't know that) really have EXPENSIVE pasta and the portion size was really small as well. However, Pasta and Pizza were the only thing I ate there.
Venice is a beautiful city (even though I felt like they had no grass at all) but it can be really confusing. I usually walked my way around cities but in Venice it's really confusing to get from one sight to the other even with Google Maps. Because it was really hot and I didn't want to wear long pants, Venice is also the only city where I didn't go into a church.
I had nice texts with an old friend of mine and it really made my stay much more fun. I stayed a lot in the hostels and even drank a Sex on the Beach each evening because I just felt like it. I observed a lot and listened to other people in restaurants and I was fascinated by how much I understood Italian. Like yes, I knew French and Spanish were similar but THAT SIMILAR? So one woman asked me if I was Italian which obviously I'm not but she asked me in Italian and I was really proud of myself that I could understand it. Also, there was this one old man who complimented my shoulders because I was wearing that shoulder free dress you can see in one of my last Instagram posts. So Venice was fun.
8. Vienna (27th of August - 31st of August)
So on the trip to Vienna I met this really nice girl (shoutout to Cara) who's from the US and she was also going by a train from Venice. Now she didn't go to Vienna, so we had to part ways in Innsbruck but we got to know each other because we both missed a train so we have had really nice talks. We're still in contact over snapchat but she's in the US again so we won't see each other for a while.
I arrived in Vienna late at night again. The AirBnb was a nice room upstairs in a taller building. Downstairs was a Chinese restaurant and so it smelled like garbage downstairs but I was on the fourth floor and you were able to breathe there again. Vienna felt more like home again. I've already been there in 10th grade with my class. It was also nice to hear German again and surprisingly A LOT of Slovak. Vienna was really nice and because I missed a Folksfest back at home, I decided to at least visit the Prater. I also went to Schloss Schönbrunn and obviously also just walked around the city centre. I got sick at the end so all I sis on my last full day was go to a Dominos near my AirBnb.
9. Bratislava (31st of August - 3rd of September)
Bratislava. I WAS FINALLY HOME. Some of you might know that my grandpa from my mums side is from Slovakia. So I stayed with my mums cousin and her husband. I never met them before so it was kind of strange at first but I knew that it was family and I just really felt like they cared about me as much as the rest of my family does. So because I was sick they immediately cooked soup for me, gave me lots of lemon water to drink and even medicine. It was nice to eat homemade food again and also to get to know the Slovak part of my family.
So because they were locals they obviously showed me every spot of Bratislava, the local food and we also drove outside of Bratislava, almost to Hungary even and visited a castle and an art gallery. It was really nice and we even went swimming which I have been craving since I was in Venice. I had really nice and deep conversations with them and they even paid for EVERYTHING and I'm still thankful for that to this day.
I was really glad to be home soon but Bratislava will always have a special place in my heart.
So because they were locals they obviously showed me every spot of Bratislava, the local food and we also drove outside of Bratislava, almost to Hungary even and visited a castle and an art gallery. It was really nice and we even went swimming which I have been craving since I was in Venice. I had really nice and deep conversations with them and they even paid for EVERYTHING and I'm still thankful for that to this day.
I was really glad to be home soon but Bratislava will always have a special place in my heart.
The first thing I did when I was home, I hugged my boyfriend, showered and slept.
In my next blogpost I'll mention all the things I wish I knew before going on my interrail trip concretely but for now, this was my story.
It would be cool if you'll follow me on my social media pages:
YouTube
Tumblr
Videos on my YouTube Channel come out every Sunday at 6pm CET
I wish all of you a lovely week, stay safe,
I wish all of you a lovely week, stay safe,
Kommentare
Kommentar veröffentlichen